1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a hinge damper with damping in one direction of rotation. The damper includes a gel-filled housing in which a rotor rotates, and a clutch which is affixed to the output shaft. The rotor and the clutch abut each other and have a series of alternating flat surfaces and ramped surfaces to provide for engagement and subsequent damping in one direction of rotation of the clutch, and disengagement or ramping over with no damping in the other direction of rotation of the clutch.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, rotary dampers or hinge dampers are known. However, two-way damping can be undesirable in such applications as an automotive glovebox as unwanted resistance is encountered when closing the door of the glovebox. One-way rotational dampers as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,423 entitled "Rotary Damper Having a Clutch Spring and Viscous Fluid" issued to Ito et al. on Mar. 11, 1986 have relied on a coil spring for the one-way rotational damping characteristics. This has not been satisfactory in that the manufacturing costs have been high and the device has not been mechanically satisfactory. Additionally, with the small amount of viscous fluid included in this device, a smooth feel, such as is desired in an automotive application, such as a glovebox, has not been satisfactorily achieved.